Textile business owners arrested by police for major fraud

Photo: facebook.com/Valsts policija.

In October, Latvian State Police arrested owners of a Riga-based textile business for defrauding at least EUR 6,550. Information from the police shows that suspects had been taking orders and money from clients and intentionally not coming through or returning money for at least twelve months.

A criminal process has been launched in relation to this case.

Police received nine complaints about fraud in the internet environment over the course of the end of 2016 to September 2017.

Residents ordered textile goods – towels, tablecloths and other goods – from some company’s website, but the goods were never delivered. Attempts to contact the company failed – no one answered the phone or e-mails. Because of that, residents never received the goods they ordered or the money they paid for them.

Private and legal persons turned to police for assistance. Among the victims of the fraud is a Latvian state hospital. The damage caused by the company’s illegal activities is estimated at EUR 6,550.

Officers of State Police Riga Kurzeme District’s Criminal Police Department fund out that owners of the company in question are behind those criminal activities – a 1992-born man and 1990-born woman. Neither of them have a criminal past. It should be added that suspects had met with potential clients using fake names.

After determining the whereabouts of the two suspects, police performed an arrest in Aizkraukle in October.

During the investigation, police performed searches in the homes of the two suspects and company office. Officers confiscated data storage devices, mobile phones and other types of evidence.

The criminal process has been launched in accordance with Part Two of Section 177 of the Criminal Law – fraud committed by a group of persons pursuant to prior agreement.

The 1992-born man has been put under arrest, whereas the 1990-born woman has been applied with a security measure that does not include deprivation of freedom.